Guard for cooking system

ABSTRACT

A cooking system including a housing having a hollow interior, a heating element associated with said housing, a support body for supporting the food within said hollow interior such that the food is positionable on a support surface of said support body, and a guard located between at least a portion of the support surface and said heating element. The guard is permissive of convective airflow between said hollow interior and said heating element, and is generally impermeable to projectile matter generated during a cooking operation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/810,254, filed Feb. 25, 2019, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to a cookingsystem, and more particularly, to a guard for blocking a flow of fat oroil from contacting a heating element of a cooking system.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment, a cooking system including a housing havinga hollow interior, a heating element associated with said housing, asupport body for supporting the food within said hollow interior suchthat the food is positionable on a support surface of said support body,and a guard located between at least a portion of the support surfaceand said heating element. The guard is permissive of convective airflowbetween said hollow interior and said heating element, and is generallyimpermeable to projectile matter generated during a cooking operation.

According to yet another embodiment, a cooking system includes a housinghaving a hollow interior, a first heating element associated with saidhousing and operable in a first cooking mode, a second heating elementassociated with said housing and operable in a second cooking mode, anda guard configurable with said housing to be permissive of convectiveairflow between said hollow interior and said heating element duringsaid first cooking mode, and non-permissive of convective airflowbetween said hollow interior and said heating element during said secondcooking mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of thespecification embodies several aspects of the present disclosure and,together with the description, serves to explain the principles of thedisclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a guard for use with a cooking system accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the guard of FIG. 1 according to anembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a cooking system including a guardaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a cooking system according to anembodiment;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a lid of a cooking system according toan embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a control system associated with aguard of a cooking system according to an embodiment.

The detailed description explains embodiments of the disclosure,together with advantages and features, by way of example with referenceto the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference now to FIGS. 1 and 2, an example of a guard 20 for useduring a cooking operation is illustrated. As shown, the guard 20includes a frame 22 and a body 24 formed from at least one layer ofmaterial 26 mounted within the frame 22. In the illustrated,non-limiting embodiment, the body 24 includes a first layer 26 a and asecond layer 26 b (FIG. 2). However, it should be understood that aguard 20 having a body 24 including only single layer of material, oralternatively, more than two layers of material are also within thescope of the disclosure.

The at least one layer 26 of the body 24 is permeable to air and watervapor. The layer 26 may be selected from any suitable heat-resistantmaterial. In an embodiment, the material used to form one or more of thelayers 26 of the body 24 is a non-absorbent material, such as a metalwire mesh for example. The configuration of the mesh, such as the sizeof the apertures of the mesh for example, is selected such thatprojectile matter generated during a cooking operation, such as fat oroil for example, is substantially blocked from passage through theapertures. However, the sizes of the apertures may also be selected toallow a flow of air and heat, sufficient for performing a convectivecooking operation for example, to pass through the material. In anembodiment using two layers, the mesh material of each layer 26 a and 26b may be formed from a braided or welded metal wire having a diameter of0.4 mm to 0.5 mm, with openings of 0.8 mm to 2.1 mm. More specifically,each layer 26 a and 26 b may be formed from a braided or welded metalwire having a diameter of about 0.45 mm, with openings of about 1.5 mm.The layers 26 a and 26 b may be aligned such that the openings betweenthe overlapping layers are 0.4 mm to 2.1 mm, and more specifically 0.4mm to 1.5 mm, 0.4 mm to 0.75 mm, and 0.75 mm to 1.5 mm.

Heat-resistant, non-absorbent materials that are non-metallic, such assilicone for example, are also within the scope of the disclosure. Insuch embodiments, the layer 26 may similarly have a plurality ofopenings or apertures formed therein. Further, any material that iscapable of being chemically treated to achieve desired heat-resistantand non-absorbent properties is also within the scope of the disclosure.

Alternatively, in addition to being vapor-permeable, the material of oneor more of the layers of the body may be liquid or grease-absorbent.Examples of such materials, includes, but are not limited to, avapor-permeable cloth, such as a textile cloth, or a cellulose cloth.The various types of materials illustrated and described herein areintended as an example only, and it should be understood that anymaterial suitable to block a flow of projectile matter is contemplatedherein.

With reference to FIG. 2, in embodiments where the body 24 of the guard20 includes multiple layers, the plurality of layers of material 26 arestacked along a flow path of cooking vapors generated during a cookingoperation. Although the first and second layers 26 a, 26 b are shown asbeing spaced from one another along the flow path, embodiments whereadjacent layers are arranged in direct contact with one another are alsocontemplated herein.

Each of the layers 26 of the body 24 may be formed from a similarmaterial or a different material. In addition, the layers 26 may havesimilar or different configurations and/or orientations. For example, agauge of a first layer 26 a of mesh may be different than the gauge of asecond layer 26 b of mesh. Further, the first and second layers 26 a, 26b may be arranged such that apertures of the first layer 26 a aregenerally aligned with the apertures of the second layer 26 b.Alternatively, the material of the second layer 26 b may be shifted orrotated relative to the material of the first layer 26 a such that theapertures of the first layer 26 a are staggered or offset from theapertures of the second layer 26 b. In such embodiments, the aperturesof the first layer 26 a and the apertures of the second layer 26 bcooperate to define an open area of the body 24 through which a fluid,such as air or vapor, may pass.

A configuration of the body 24 may be adjustable to control thepermeability of the body 24, for example based on the cooking operationbeing performed. In an embodiment, a configuration of one or more layers26 may be adjustable to achieve any configuration of the body 24 betweena fully open configuration and a fully closed configuration. In thefully open configuration, the body 24 may be permeable not only tocooking vapors and air flow, but also projectile material, and in thefully closed configuration, the body 24 may be impermeable to all flowsincluding projectile matter, cooking vapors, air, and heat. In anembodiment, a position of one or more layers 26 of the body 24 isadjustable to control the permeability of the body 24. For example, oneor more of the layers 26 may be rotatable relative to another of thelayers 26 of the body 24 to selectively increase or decrease the openarea of the body 24 through which cooking vapors may flow. Inembodiments including two or more layers 26 with openings or apertures,at least one of the layers 26 is movable to align the openings ofadjacent layers, thereby increasing the open area of the body 24.Similarly, one or more of the layers 26 is movable to stagger or offsetthe openings of adjacent layers 26, thereby reducing the permeable areaof body 24.

Alternatively, or in addition, one or more layers 26 of the body 24 maybe selectively removable to adjust the permeability of the body 24. Forexample, elimination of one of a plurality of layers 26 of the body 24may increase the open area through which cooking vapors may flow.Similarly, one or more layers 26 may be added to the body 24 to furtherreduce the open area of the body 24, thereby restricting a flow therethrough.

In an embodiment, the guard 20 is suitable for use within a countertopcooking system 30. An example of a cooking system 30 is illustrated inmore detail in FIG. 3. As shown, the cooking system 30 includes a base32 and a lid 34. The base 32 includes a housing 36 made of any suitablematerial, such as glass, aluminum, plastic, or stainless steel forexample. A liner 38 may be disposed within the hollow interior 40 of thehousing 36. The liner 38 may be formed from any suitable conductivematerial, such as aluminum for example. In an embodiment, the liner 38forms an interior surface of the housing 36 and thereby defines thehollow interior 40 of the housing 36. Alternatively, the liner 38 may beoffset from the interior surface of the housing 36. However, it shouldbe understood that other components of the cooking system 30, orsurfaces thereof, may also define the hollow interior 40.

A cooking container 42 is receivable within the hollow interior 40 ofthe housing 36. Although the cooking container 42 is described herein asbeing removable from the housing 36 of the base 32, embodiments wherethe cooking container 42 is integrally formed with the housing 36 arealso contemplated herein. The cooking container 42, has an interior 44designed to receive and retain one or more consumable products, such asfood products for example, therein. Examples of food products suitablefor use with the cooking system 30, include but are not limited to,meats, fish, poultry, bread, rice, grains, pasta, vegetables, fruits,and dairy products, among others. The cooking container 42 may be a potformed from a ceramic, metal, or die cast aluminum material. In anembodiment, an interior surface of the cooking container 42 includes anano-ceramic coating and an exterior surface of the cooking container 42includes a silicone epoxy material. However, any suitable materialcapable of withstanding the high temperatures required for cooking foodproducts is contemplated herein. Further, one or more handles 46 may beassociated with the cooking container 42 to allow a user to easily graspand manipulate the cooking container 42 relative to the housing 36.

One or more accessories, may be compatible for use with the cookingsystem 30. Examples of such accessories include, but are not limited to,a diffuser, a crisping insert, a grill plate, and a griddle for example.In such embodiments, the accessories may be receivable within theinterior 40 of the housing 36, or alternatively, within the interior 44of the cooking container 42.

Referring with more detail to the lid 34, it should be noted that thelid 34 is connectable to a surface of the cooking container 42 and/orhousing 36 to close off entry to the interior 44 of the cookingcontainer 42. Accordingly, a cooking volume may be defined between theinterior 43 of the cooking container 42 and the closed lid 34, oralternatively, between the hollow interior 40 defined by the housing 36and the closed lid 34. In an embodiment, a diameter of the lid 34 isgenerally complementary to a diameter of the housing 36 such that thelid 34 covers not only the cooking container 42, but also an uppersurface 48 of the housing 36.

The lid 34 is movable relative to the base 32 between an open positionand a closed position to selectively cover the hollow interior 40. Forexample, the lid 34 may be distinct and separable from the base 32, orthe lid 34 may be movably connected to the base 32. In the illustrated,non-limiting embodiment, the lid 34 is pivotable or rotatable relativeto the base 32 about a pivot axis P. However, other types or movement ofthe lid 34 are also within the scope of the disclosure. One or morefastening mechanisms (not shown) may, but need not be used to secure thelid 34 to the base 32 when the lid 34 is in the closed position. Anysuitable type of fastening mechanism capable of withstanding the heatassociated with the cooking system 30 is considered within the scope ofthe disclosure.

The cooking system 30 includes at least one heating element operable toimpart heat to the cooking volume during one or more modes of operationof the cooking system 30. In the illustrated, non-limiting embodiment, aheating element 50 is positioned generally at or above an upper extent52 of the cooking container 42, such as proximate a center of theinterior 44 of the cooking container 42 for example. As shown, the atleast one heating element 50 is mounted within the lid 34, and thereforecompletely outside of the cooking container 42, and vertically offsetfrom the upper extent 52 thereof. Alternatively, or in addition, aheating element 54 may be disposed within the housing 36, generallyadjacent the bottom 56 of the cooking container 42. However, it shouldbe understood that embodiments where a heating element is arranged atanother location within the base 32 and/or the lid 34 are alsocontemplated herein.

The at least one heating element 50, 54 may be capable of performing anysuitable type of heat generation. For example, a heating element 50, 54configured to heat the cooking container 42 or one or more food itemslocated within the interior 44 of the cooking container 42 viaconduction, convection, radiation, and induction are all within thescope of the disclosure. In the illustrated, non-limiting embodiment,the heating element 50 is operable to cook food within the cookingcontainer 42 via a non-contact cooking operation. As used herein, theterm “non-contact cooking operation” includes any cooking operationwhere a heating element or heat source is not arranged in direct orindirect contact with a food item, such as, but not limited to,convective and radiant heating. In such embodiments, the cooking system30 additionally includes an air movement device 58, such as a fan forexample, operable to circulate air within the cooking volume. The air isheated as it flows along its path of circulation, such as by flowingover a portion of the at least one heating element 50. In theillustrated, non-limiting embodiment, the air movement device 58 isdriven by a motor 60 having a separate cooling mechanism coupledthereto.

In an embodiment, the heating element 54 is operable to cook food withinthe cooking container 42 via a contact cooking operation. As usedherein, the term “contact cooking operation” includes a cookingoperation where heat is transmitted via direct or indirect contactbetween a heating element or heat source and a food item, such as, butnot limited to, conductive and inductive cooking. However, it should beunderstood that embodiments where the heating element 50 is operable toperform a contact cooking operation and embodiments where the heatingelement 54 is operable to perform a non-contact cooking operation arealso within the scope of the disclosure.

Further, in embodiments including heating element 50 and heating element54, it should be understood that the heating elements may be operableindependently or in combination to apply one or more predetermined powersettings to cook the food products within the cooking container. Inoperation, the heating elements 50, 54 may be capable of cooking thefood independent of the loading of the food. In other words, the heatingelements 50, 54 may be capable of cooking the food independent of theamount of food within the cooking container 42. The cooking operationsthat may be performed by the cooking system 30 include but are notlimited to pressure cooking, steam cooking, slow cooking, searing,sautéing air frying, broiling, baking/roasting, dehydrating, andgrilling.

The guard 20 is mounted within the interior of the cooking system 30.The guard may be mounted via any suitable mounting mechanism, and may beremovably or permanently arranged therein. As shown, the guard 20 may belocated at any position between a food item being cooked within thecooking container 42 and a heating element 50, 54 of the cooking system30. In the illustrated non-limiting embodiment, the guard is mountedwithin the lid 34 of the cooking system 30 adjacent heating element 50.As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the body 24 of the guard 20 is sizedsuch that body 24 substantially overlaps, and therefore protects, theentire surface of the heating element 50 facing the cooking volume. Inan embodiment, a contour of the guard 20 is generally complementary tothe shape of the heating element 50 that the guard is intended toprotect. However, in other embodiments, best shown in FIG. 5, thecontour of the guard 20 may be complementary to the lid 34.

As previously described, a permeability of the guard 20 may vary basedon the cooking operation to be performed by the cooking system 30. In anembodiment, such as when the heating element 50 of the cooking system 30is operational, the permeability of the guard 20 may be increased toallow air flow driven by the air movement device 58 to circulate throughthe guard 20. However, in such embodiments, the guard 20 is at leastpartially closed to restrict projectile matter generated during thecooking operation from contacting the heating element 50. By blocking atleast a portion of the projectile matter generated during the cookingoperation, smoke generation resulting from projectile matter contactinga hot heating element 50 is limited.

In embodiments where heating element 54 is operational, but heatingelement 50 is non-operational, it may be desirable to transform theguard to a fully closed position. For example, by closing off theheating element 50 (when non-operational) from communication with theinterior 44 via the guard 20, the system can function in “wet” cookingmodes (such as slow cooking, searing/sauteing, steaming, and pressurecooking) with lid 34 closed. If/when the guard 20 is impermeable to anyfluid/air flow, the heater 50 is protected from projectiles and anysteam that may travel up from the interior 44 during wet cooking modes.The guard 20 may then be transformed back into an open position (thatstill is generally impressible to grease and other projectiles butallows air/fluid flow from the interior 44 to the heating element 50)for “dry” cooking modes where fluid/air flow is beneficial (such as airfrying, broiling, roasting/baking, dehydrating). As is discussed below,permeability adjustments (including full closing of heater 50 from theinterior 44) may include adjustment of one, some, or all layers 26and/or full removal and replacement of one, some, or all layers 26.

In an embodiment, the permeability of the guard 20 is adjusted prior toenergizing any of the heating elements 50, 54 of the cooking system 30.Such adjustment may rotate or otherwise move one layer relative toanother to block or otherwise decrease (via smaller size or non-linearpathway) the ability of particulate or in some cases fluid/air flowaltogether from passing through the guard 20. In other embodiments, theguard 20 itself or layers 26 thereof may be removed from the cookingsystem 30 for some cooking operations and replaced for others (in someembodiments the guard 20 may be removed for dry modes and replaced forwet modes). In such embodiments, the guard 20 may simply be a platewithout any openings that functions to removably cover the heatingelement 50 during the desired modes. Alternatively, the permeability ofthe guard 20 may be controlled during operation of the cooking system30, automatically and in real time.

With reference now to FIG. 6, in an embodiment, one or more of thelayers 26 of the body 24 is operably coupled to an actuator 62 or othermovement mechanism. The cooking system 30 includes a controller 64operably coupled to one or more inputs 66, such as buttons for example.The inputs 66 may be operable to select one of a plurality of modes ofoperation of the cooking system 30. In response to a mode of operationselected via an input 66, the controller 64 commands the actuator 62 toadjust of one or more of the layers 26 of the body 24 of the guard 20 toa desired configuration. Alternatively, or in addition, a sensor S forsensing one or more parameters within the cooking volume during acooking operation may be operably coupled to the controller 64. Inresponse to a condition detected within the cooking volume, such asreduced air flow for example, the controller 64 may command the actuator62 to adjust a position of one or more of the layers 26 of the body 24.

The cooking system 30 having a guard 20 as illustrated and describedherein has a reduced likelihood of smoking and grease splatter. As aresult, the cooking system is easier for a user to operate and clean,thereby providing an enhanced user experience.

All references, including publications, patent applications, and patentscited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each reference were individually and specifically indicated to beincorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the disclosure (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of valuesherein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referringindividually to each separate value falling within the range, unlessotherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated intothe specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methodsdescribed herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwiseindicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The useof any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”)provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosureand does not pose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unlessotherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construedas indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice ofthe disclosure.

Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the disclosure.Variations of those embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventorsexpect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, andthe inventors intend for the disclosure to be practiced otherwise thanas specifically described herein. Accordingly, this disclosure includesall modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in theclaims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, anycombination of the above-described elements in all possible variationsthereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicatedherein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooking system comprising: a housing having ahollow interior; a heating element associated with said housing; asupport body for supporting the food within said hollow interior suchthat the food is positionable on a support surface of said support body;and a guard located between at least a portion of the support surfaceand said heating element, wherein said guard is permissive of convectiveairflow between said hollow interior and said heating element, andgenerally impermeable to projectile matter generated during a cookingoperation.
 2. The cooking system of claim 1, wherein said guard furthercomprises a body having at plurality of layers including at least afirst layer and a second layer, said first layer and said second layerbeing stacked relative to said convective airflow.
 3. The cooking systemof claim 2, wherein said first layer and said second layer aresubstantially identical.
 4. The cooking system of claim 2, wherein saidfirst layer is formed from a first material and said second layer isformed from a second material, distinct from said first material.
 5. Thecooking system of claim 2, wherein said first layer and said secondlayer are aligned.
 6. The cooking system of claim 2, wherein saidplurality of layers are connected via a frame and at least one of saidplurality of layers is removably mounted to said frame.
 7. The cookingsystem of claim 2, wherein at least one of said plurality of layersincludes a mesh material formed from a wire defming a plurality ofopenings, wherein a diameter of said wire is between 0.4 mm to 0.5 mm,and a diameter of each of said plurality of openings is between 0.8 mmand 2.1 mm.
 8. The cooking system of claim 7, wherein said wire has adiameter of about 0.45 mm and a diameter of said plurality of openingsare between 0.8 mm and 2.1 mm.
 9. The cooking system of claim 2, whereinsaid second layer is offset from said first layer.
 10. The cookingsystem of claim 9, wherein said first layer includes a plurality offirst openings and said second layer includes a plurality of secondopenings, said first openings and said second openings in combinationform a plurality of overlapped openings, said overlapped openings havinga diameter between 4 mm to 2.1 mm.
 11. The cooking system of claim 9,wherein said overlapped openings have a diameter between 4 mm to 1.5 mm.12. The cooking system of claim 9, wherein said overlapped openings havea diameter between 4 mm to 0.75 mm.
 13. The cooking system of claim 9,wherein said overlapped openings have a diameter between 75 mm to 1.5mm.
 14. The cooking system of claim 1, wherein a permeability of saidguard is manually adjustable.
 15. The cooking system of claim 1, whereina permeability of said guard is automatically adjustable by the cookingsystem.
 16. The cooking system of claim 10, wherein said cooking systemfurther comprises an actuator operably coupled to a portion of saidguard and a controller in communication with said movement mechanism.17. The cooking system of claim 16, further comprising an input forselecting a cooking mode operably coupled to said controller, whereinsaid permeability of said guard is automatically adjustable in responseto said input.
 18. The cooking system of claim 16, further comprising asensor for detecting a parameter within said hollow interior, saidsensor being operably coupled to said controller, wherein saidpermeability of said guard is automatically adjustable in response tosaid parameter detected by said sensor.
 19. The cooking system of claim1, wherein said cooking system further comprises a lid movable relativeto said housing and said heating element is disposed within said lid.20. The cooking system of claim 19, wherein said guard is associatedwith said lid.
 21. The cooking system of claim 1, wherein said guard isremovably mounted within said cooking system.
 22. A cooking systemcomprising: a housing having a hollow interior; a first heating elementassociated with said housing and operable in a first cooking mode; asecond heating element associated with said housing and operable in asecond cooking mode; a guard configurable with said housing to bepermissive of convective airflow between said hollow interior and saidheating element during said first cooking mode, and non-permissive ofconvective airflow between said hollow interior and said heating elementduring said second cooking mode.
 23. The cooking system of claim 22,wherein in said first cooking mode said first heating element isoperational and in said second cooking mode said first heating elementis non-operations.
 24. The cooking system of claim 22, wherein saidguard is removably mounted within said cooking system.
 25. The cookingsystem of claim 22, wherein said guard is adjustable between a fullyopen configuration and a fully closed configuration.
 26. The cookingsystem of claim 22, wherein said cooking system further comprises a lidmovable relative to said housing and said first heating element isdisposed within said lid.
 27. The cooking system of claim 26, whereinsaid guard is associated with said lid.